License plate holder



April 4, 1967 s. P. BARTOLONE LICENSE PLATE HOLDER Filed April 29, 1964 United States Patent O 3,312,610 LiClENSE PLATE HDLDER Steven l. Bartolome, 408 N. Hickory, Arlington Heights, lll. 66h04 Filed Apr. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 363,421 2 Claims. (Si. l0-09) This invention relates to a holder for a plate having attachment openings at opposite edges, but requiring no fastening bolts and nuts and quickly and easily attached and removed without the application of tools or other additional members. It4 is more particularly described as a license plate holder for automobiles and may be adapted for both front and rear plates.

An important object of the invention is to provide a holder for license plates in which opposite perforated edges are engaged by projecting members connected together, movable at an angle to engage opposite perforations, then aligned and locked to hold the plate firmly in display position.

Other objects of the invention are, to simplify the plate attaching connection; to avoid the necessity of fitting and attaching screws, nuts, and bolts in a plate; to provide attaching means for a plate, that are not subject to rusting, corrosion, and difficult attachment, removal, and substitution of other plates; to provide a movable plate engaging part, easily locked in place and released, binding and clamping the plate tightly in place when engaged, but readily operable to release and discharge a plate; and in general, to produce the construction herein shown and described.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specitication and will be more apparent in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation, showing a plate in accordance with this invention applied to the front or rear of an automobile;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a holder, in accordance with this invention, in holding or extended position without a license plate therein;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a mounting, as taken on a line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one end of a holder, partially` open with a license plate end therein, before the latter is locked in the holder.

A common objection to license plate holders now in use, is that screws, nuts, and bolts are loosely inserted through slots and perforations and then tightened in holders and plates. Even though the screws and nuts are not rusted or battered it may be difficult to register them in the openings and to remove them, but when they are rusted, which is usually the condition after a short use, it is difficult to attach and remove them, requiring the use of tools, and sometimes damaging the plates in changing or applying them.

The present invention overcomes these objections by providing a holder which may engage the same opposite perforations of license plates, but has angularly movable engagement parts with projections to register with the openings, and the parts then movable into alignment with hinged locking means manually movable to condine the plate by the openings and to retain the parts in alignment until it is desired to remove the plate. Thi-s does away with the necessity of locking screws, nuts, and bolts, or tools for removing them, and the remaining parts are not subject to damage, rust and corrosion.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a holder may be attached to a front or back sheet metal wall of an automobile, and comprises oil-set brackets 12, or other suitable fastening means, for connecting it in place. Each bracket has an offset end 14 for spacing it from the wall 10 and a bolt 16 extends through the end 3,312,010 Patented Apr. 4, las? 14 and the wall 10 near each end of a holder. A nut 18 is commonly provided for the inside of bolt 16, and large washers 2li surround the bolt at each side of the wall.

A holder has two similar rigid but thin metal strip parts or members 22 and 24, the first of which is attached by screws or rivets 26 to the outwardly extending ends of the two brackets 12 substantially parallel to the Wall 10 -at a distance from the ends of the metal part 22. This part 22 is preferably parallel to the wall 10 and at a relatively small distance therefrom equal to the offset in the brackets usually covering the bolts 16, for neatness, and depending or extending downwardly therefrom.

In the holder, the other strip or part 24 has hinges 28 usually corresponding to the brackets 12, connecting the xed part 22 and the hinged part 24 for angular movement outwardly, and inwardly into extended alignment. Extending inwardly from each end of each of the parts 22 and 24 is a slot 30 with the material thereof bent therefrom to form a spring tongue 32, and hinged to the back or under side of the lixed part 22 is a locking pawl 34 having a pivot 36 located above the slot 30 so that it may swing into engagement with the tongues 32 of both parts 22 and 24 `as shown in FIG. 2, forming a releasable latch means for locking the metal strip parts together, in alignment and swinging free from the tongue 32 of the outer part 24, as shown in FIG. 4, for allowing them to swing at an angle to each other.

At the edges of the parts 22 and 24 opposite the hinges 28, both metal holder parts are formed with projections 38, usually offset outwardly from the faces of the parts. A sheet metal license plate 4t), usually embossed for strength and to present the letters and numerals more prominently, has attaching openings 42 in upper and lower edges which correspond in position and register with the projections 38 of the holder.

When a holder is angularly open, as in FIG. 4, with a license plate 40 having its openings 42 at one side in engagement with the projections 38 of the outer part 24,

the opposite openings of the plate are overlapping and spaced at a dist-ance greater than that of the opposite projections 38 in the part 22. But when these angled parts are moved into alignment as shown in FIG. 3, they first engage the projections 38 of the inner part 22 with the corresponding openings 42 of the plate 40, when they are at the right distance apart, and then the parts 22 and 24 are engaged with the opposite edge perforations 42 and are moved in alignment.

In this aligned position the locking pawls 34 may be swung on their pivots to engage below the spring tongues 32 of both metal parts, holding them together in alignment and tightly containing the license plate between the projections 38. The license plate will remain in this position until the locking pawls 34 at both ends of the parts 22 and 24 are clear of the tongues 32 of the outer movable part 24 allowing the parts to swing angularly together on their hinges 28 releasing the license plate 40 by their movement together.

Thus there are no small parts to become rusted, corroded, damaged, or lost; all of the necessary parts to bind and lock the plate are held in place, ready for oper-ation in applying or removing a license plate; the holder parts are supported at a short distance. from and parallel to the supporting wall, but do not bind or engage so that the parts do not wear, become loose or rattle; and license plates are easily replaced by the operation of the locking pawls at both ends of the holders.

I claim:

1. A holder for an automobile license plate having two openings adjacent the top thereof and two openings adjacent the bottom thereof, said holder comprising: an upper horizontal member positioned in a plane at the rear of said plate and approximately parallel thereto; a lower u iorirzontal member positioned in said plane and below said lpper member; hinge means connecting adjacent edges of iaid members; a plurality of projections secured to said nernbers, each projection extending through a respective .wpening in said plate and abutting the front thereof; reeasable latch means holding said members in planar re- ,ationshipg whereby when said latch means is released one 3f said members may be pivoted toward the other member bringing said projections closer together to permit the plate to be slipped o of the projections and removed with another plate then being replaced on sain projections and locked in place by moving said one member into said plane and said latch means reengaged; and means secured to the other of said members to attach said holder to said automobile.

2. A holder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said latch means includes a pawl pivotally secured to a rst of said members for movement parallel to said plane and a spring tongue secured to the second of the members and releasably holding said pawl between the tongue and the second member, said pawl being released by a pivotal movement away from the tongue; and wherein said projections on the upper member have their distal ends upwardly and the projections on the lower member have their distal ends downwardly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNTED STA'ES PATENTS 1,804,948 5/1931 Petigor 40-125 2,658,705 1l/1v953 lll/hitman 248-.-309 X 2,935,281 3/1960 Huffman 40--209 X EUGENE R. CAYOZIO, Primary Examiner.

HERBERT F. ROSS, Examiner. 

1. A HOLDER FOR AN AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE HAVING TWO OPENINGS ADJACENT THE TOP THEREOF AND TWO OPENINGS ADJACENT THE BOTTOM THEREOF, SAID HOLDER COMPRISING: AN UPPER HORIZONTAL MEMBER POSITIONED IN A PLANE AT THE REAR OF SAID PLATE AND APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL THERETO; A LOWER HORIZONTAL MEMBER POSITIONED IN SAID PLANE AND BELOW SAID UPPER MEMBER; HINGE MEANS CONNECTING ADJACENT EDGES OF SAID MEMBERS; A PLURALITY OF PROJECTIONS SECURED TO SAID MEMBERS, EACH PROJECTION EXTENDING THROUGH A RESPECTIVE OPENING IN SAID PLATE AND ABUTTING THE FRONT THEREOF; RELEASABLE LATCH MEANS HOLDING SAID MEMBERS IN PLANAR RELATIONSHIP; WHEREBY WHEN SAID LATCH MEANS IS RELEASED ONE OF SAID MEMBERS MAY BE PIVOTED TOWARD THE OTHER MEMBER BRINGING SAID PROJECTIONS CLOSER TOGETHER TO PERMIT THE PLATE TO BE SLIPPED OFF OF THE PROJECTIONS AND REMOVED WITH ANOTHER PLATE THEN BEING REPLACED ON SAID PROJECTIONS AND LOCKED IN PLACE BY MOVING SAID ONE MEMBER INTO SAID PLANE AND SAID LATCH MEANS REENGAGED; AND MEANS SECURED TO THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS TO ATTACH SAID HOLDER TO SAID AUTOMOBILE. 